Lock or latch



E. CRONIPTON AND C. L. CROOKS.

LOCK 0R LATCH.

APPLICATION Flu-:o oc'r. n. 1919.

Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

LALSQLSYS,

EDVIN CROMPTON AND CHARLES L. GROOKS, OF PUEBLO, CULORADO.

Leen oit Lasci-r.

Application filed ctcber 11, 1919.

To atl 'whom t may @office/Mt.'

Be it known that we, EDWIN Cnonrroiv and Ci-mnLns L. Cnoons, citizens ot the United States, residing` at Pueblo, in the county ot Pueblo and State olf Colorado, have invented certain non and uselful .lmproveinents in Locks or Latches; and We do hereby declare the :following to be a ifull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Will enable others skilled in the art to Which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to locks or latches and more particularly to l cks and latches adapted tor use onv automobile and smilar doors, but certain features of novelty and construction herein disclosed may be einployed in locks or latches olf other types.

lin locks and latches it is important that the lock or latch mechanism shall be reliable in operation and readily assembled. ri further desirable feature in locks ot' the type described is that they may be readily operated by the hand used in ope-ningv a door carryingthe saine, and automatically operable when the door is closed.l Another desirable feature of such locks or latches is that the locking` or latching element thereof shall be positively moved tov and from its locking` or latching position7 instead of depending for such movement on the spring means that carries the locking` or latching element. as in the case, for example7 et our Patent No. l, 281,144-, dated October 8. 1G18. JL positive retracting and projectiiig mechanism i'or the rlockingi or latchingi' element permits the use et a much longer locking or latching knob or head on the locking or latchingl element7 and also permits the use of much deeper recess to receive such knob, thereby eliectingl a more secure locking or latching action.

The objects of this invention are therelore to provide a lock or latch mechanism of but few and simple parts which will not readily become disarranged and which may be easily and quickly assembled to reduce the inanniacturing,` cost of suoli locks or latches. Another object et theqinvention is to provide a simple positive cam means for manually and automatically moving the locking or latching element to and from its locking or latchingl positions.

According to the present invention7 siniplicity of construction and rel'ability in operation are attained by employinK a cani Serial No. 329,918.

means that cooperates With a locking,- or latching element in such a manner as to positively move it to and from its locking or latching position. The cam means may be so designed as to impart a sulllcient stroke to the lockingv or lat-ching element to permit the use of a comparatively longl knob on the locking' element for engaging in the socket or recess of the keeper.

The above and other Objects and the novel features ol the invention Will be apparent from the following description. taken in connection with the drawings which illustrate one particularly desirable torni in which the principles of the invention may e embodied. ln these drawings,

Figure l is'a vertical sectional view ot a lock or latch embodying this invention, parts thereof being shown in elevation, and the lock or latch mechanism being shown in its locking; or latching` position;

lligure 2 is a similar view, in which tl e parts ot the lock vor latch mechanism are shown in unlocked or-unlatched position;

Figures and Ll are horizontal sectional views et the lock or latch on the lines 3-3 and st l respectively of Figure il;

Figure 5 is a perspective vieiv of the keeper or strike plate.

Referring to the drawing, lO designates a 'll-shaped metal lock or latch casing Vwhich is open at the rear, top and bottom and has openings ll and l2 disposed one ablin'e the other in its front Wall lOl, the openingill being` nearer the inner edge ot' the cueing than the lower openingv l2. .lhe lock or latch casingl l0 is adapted to be litted in a mortise in an automobile door or the like in such position that the front Wall lOl vvill be substantially Hush with the vertical edge of the door and the upper edge ot the casing` l0 Will be sufficiently close tol the upper or horizontal edge oiI the door to bringthe button 13 on the operating` plunger l) Wfthin easy reach oi an occupant the automobile. The preferable arrangement is such that the button 13 shall be disposed close to or slightly below the upper edge olf the door so that it will not be in the Way.

When the door is closed, the openings ll and l2 et the casing l0, respectively, register with the recess le and socket l5 in a metal ykeeper vor strike plate K that is suitably fastened in a recess iush with the edge ot the cooperating` door jamb.- The socket l5 is adapted to receive the head or lknob lo of the locking or latching element L, such head or knob projecting through the opening' l2 in the front wall ot the lock or latch casing. Heretofore, as illustrated, for example, in our Patent No.`l,28l,l`fill, the head of the locking or latching` element has been made relatively shortdue to the fact that the movement of the same into the lock or latch casing has depended entirely upon the push given it by a cam means on the keeper plate. l lVe have found ythat the socket and the cooperatng loclringor latcliing` knob `or head in such locks or latches does not pio vide a lock or latch that will or latched under all conditions oft service, and accordingly Wey propose to malte the locking or latching,` head considerably longer and the cooperatingl locking` or lutching` socket considerably deeper than heretotore, but in order to'makethis chano'e wein-nd it necessary to positively nio-ve it inwardly a su'licient distance to enableI the door to be readily closed.

lln the construction herein shown, the lrnob 16 ot the locking or latchinlg;V elem-ent. consists ot an elongated cylindrical body por-V tion having a hemispherical is adapted to seat-smigly in the/correspond ing deep socket 15 in the strike plate li. The rear end of the head '1Gl basa stein 1T Which' moves therewith and v-Jhich provided intermediate its ends with an elongated through slot 18. Anti'l'riction rollers 19 and 2O are rotatably mounted in the slot 18 near the' yoppositeends thereo't, and the head 16 and stem l? are respectively, supported and kguided by suitable men is, such means, as herein shown, comprising a lflange 121 surroimdingA the opening l2 and a infacouter end lthat ing and ,quiclingy plate 2l that bridges and is secured to the side Walls of the casing;` l0.

T he lockingv or latching element L is thus mounted in a position to move longitudif nally in a horizontal straight line that extends through the center ol? the socket l5.

Suitable` means may be provided tor reciprocating the loclringor latchinuelement L,r that is, positively moving' i'tcut ot and into locking or latchinggv position at the proper time. lille have herein shown a simple arrangement which consistsv oi? means or elements carried bythe plunger or vertically reciprocal operating member As illustrated, the cam elements are', tor economy and simplicity, formed integral with the plunger l1 by stamping the plunger vfrom a single bari vvitliparallel lcam edges 22 and 23 extendingl at angle to the longitudinal axis of, the plunger. it the upper ends of the cam edges or surfaces 22 and 23 there are suitable parallel surfaces or rests 22l-and 231. the plunger P extends through the slot 18 and the cam members or suritaces and 23 thereot1 cooperate with the antilriction roll- ,sepa-rately and secure stay locked e Ther` cam portion ofl ers 19 and 20,*1'espectively, to exert a Wedging action to reciprocate the locking or latching members L into and out ot locking` or latching position, as will be obvious from an inspection ot' Figures l and 2. llt Will be understood that 'for some purposes it may be satisfactory to form `the cam members the same to the plunger in the proper position in some suitable manner, but the arrangement herein shown isA more desirable 'from a manufacturing' standpoint. Further, it will be understood that the cam operating means may be kemployed in some types olf locks or latches irrespective of the particular form ot knob or slot, anti'riction rollers and arrangement of locking or latching ele/inert means may be provided ior retaining` the locking or late-hing element L and itsk op# eiating` member l) in the position that they occupy when said element loelrs'or latches the door.

particularly simple and effective arv rangement for accoi'i'iplishing this purpose is shown in the dra Wings, but erpiivalent means may of course be provided tor the same purpose. The plungerfinember l. has

curveril edges or surta-ces V222 and 232 which merge into the loiver ends of the cam edges and 23. Tie curved edge 222 isftormed as a socket or seat to receive the antitriction roller 'i9 ot the lockingl lor latchingr element li when the operating member l? is in its uppermost position. The part-srl? andla are thus interioclned1 the operatirrg` .member l) l'ieingvthen in a positionin ivhichit loels the bolt .or locking;Y or latching` element L. rlhe edge 232, corresponding but opposite to the edgey '222, isfso lshaped as to engage the other roller 2O von the bolt L, ivhereby the operating' membenlD maintains engagement With both rollers l9 and 20, preventing lost motion and rattling; ot tbe lock or latch parts.

rlhe aluno'cr or oaerating memberl) is `arrangedto `reciprocate vertically in openings in the zqui. le and bracing plates 26 and 2'? which are secured 'to the side Walls ol' 'he lock casingl0. Normally the plunger is vyieldinply sup-ported. in its V'upper and locking); position by helical springv 28 that bears at its lower end upon the brace -plate v27 and engages a pin 29 or suitable shoulder carried by the plungern v Suitable means may beprovided for automatically operatingthe plunger l) when the door is closed. A desirable and effective means for accomplishi-ngv` this purpose is herein shown andv consists of a rigidfarm 30 that extends laterally of the operating member l) and may be formed integral therewith and bentinivardly slightly so that its outer end Will readily project tliiroueh 'the opening' ll. The outer end olf the arm SO is ol" slightly reduced sise and constructed to roy ISuitable y tatably support thereon an antifriction roller 31 that projects through the opening 11 and is adapted to cooperate with a cam edge 32 constitutingpart of the upper edge of the recess lll in the strike plate l. The roller 31 is thus positioned in advance oit the knob 16 so that the cam surface or edge 32 will engage the roller 31 and begin retracting the knob before the latter reaches the keeper plate l. The cam edge 32 is so shaped as to cause the arm 3() to move the operating member P downwardly as the door is closed, and when the lower edge of the cam surface 32 is reached, by a lurther closing movement, the roller head 31 is moved into position so that the spring 28 will throw it into the notch 33, thereby locking or latching it and the other parts of the lock or latch mechanism. It will be understood that the automatic downward movement of the operating member P by the cooperation ot' the cani 32 and the arm 30 is for the purpose ot causing the elongated knob 16 to be positively moved or retracted from its locking or latchii'ig position into the casing a sufficient distance to permit the door to be swung shut without interference of the locking or latching element with the edge of the door jamb. 1n order to fa.- cilitate this operation when the locking or latching knob 16 has not entirely moved into the casing, the keeper plate K may be provided with a cam groove 151 that extends from its outer edge to the socket 15, as illustrated in F ig. 5, to gradually cam the locking or latching element inwardly in cooperation with the positive means which operates the locking or latching element.

The construction and operation of the lock or latch will be apparent from the foregoing desc iption, the operation being briefly as follows: The parts are assumed to be mounted on a door and door jamb, respectively, in cooierating position, and with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1, the door is locked or latched. In order to open the door, one hand may be used to engage the button 13 and depress the operating member P against the tension of the spring 28, which depression moves the cam 23 downwardly against the roller 20 and the resultant cam action causes the locking or latchingl element L to move to the right, into the position shown in F ig. 2 in which the roller 20 rides up onto the upper rest 231. Simultaneously, the roller 19 is engaged by the parallel cam 22 and finally moves into position in engagement with the upper rest 221. lVith the parts in this position, as shown in Fig. 2, the door may be swung open by a. slight push, even though the knob 16 may not have been moved entirely into the casing 10. The door having been opened, and the hand having been withdrawn from the button 13, the spring 28 will reciprocate the plunger P upwardly and restore the parts of the lock or latch mechanism to the position shown in F ig. 1, in which the locking or latching knob 13 projects from the lock easing and the roller 31 on the arm 30 is at the upper end oit its movement. The arm 30 in this position may abut'against the cross brace 26, which latter thereby serves to limit the upward movement of the operating` member or plunger P.

lo close the door without manually operating the lock or latch, the door is swung to closed position and when the projection or roller 31 engages the cam edge 32 of the keeper plate, the operating member P will be moved downwardly automatically, causing the cam 23 to retract the locking or latching member. At the moment that the projection 31 is at the lowest end of the cam 2, and about to snap into the notch 33, the head 16 of the locking element is in position to snap into the socket 15 and the parts are thereupon shot upwardly by the spring 2S from their position in F ig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 1, the cam 22 in this operation engagirhc` the roller 19 and positively moving the locking locking or latching position and in a direction transversely of the movement of the operating member. lin the locked or latched position of the head 16, the roller 19'is seated in the recess 222 and the roller 20 is seated in the recess 232, wherebythe locking or latching element and its operating means are interlocked by means which will prevent accidental operation of the locking or latching element but which will be readily releasable by manual operation of the operating member.

7While we have shown and described the lock or latch mechanism in detail, it will be understood that the lock or latch mechanism and the cooperating parts disclosed are merely illustrative o't the broad principles involved and theretorc changes may be made in the construction ot the same without departing from the spirit or the invention.

What we claim is:

1. ln a lock or latch, the combination, with a reciprocable locking or latching element, of an operating member reciprocable transversely of the path of movement of said element, said operating member comprising a handle portion, a stem portion, and cam surfaces intermediate said handle and stem, respectively, adapted to thrust said element in opposite directions, and a. spring surrounding said turn said operating member to its normal position.

2. 1n a lock or latch, the 4combination with a locking or latching element having a recess therein and antifriction means in said recess, ot' means for operating said element comprising a reciprocable member extendor latching element into stem and adapted to rery l ti (l .van

'means operable by a keeper or ingy through said recess andI having cams engaging said anti-friction means to positively move. said. element to and from its locking position.

ln a lock or latch, thecoinbination with a locking or latching element, of cams operatively connected thereto and movable transversely thereoil for positively moving said element to and from its locking or latching position, and anti-friction means disposed between said element an d said cams.

l. ln a lock or latch, the combination with ya locking or latchii-ig element, of cams reciprocable transversely oit said element tot' positively movingthc vsame to and 'from its locking or latching position, and anti-'liriction devices carried by said element and disposed between said element and said cams.

ln a lock or latch, the combination with a reciprocable locking or latching element carrying anti-friction rollers spaced-apart longitudinally ot said element,` and means for, operating said element comprising a plunger carrying cams movable transversely said element between said rollers and resilient means abutting said cams toI yieldingly oppose or assist the opera-tion ot said plunger.

6. ln a lock or latch, the combination with a locking or latching element having a relatively long head adapted to cooperate with a suitable keeper or strike plate, oli an operating member coinprising cam means arranged to positively move said element trom locking or latching position when said 0perating member moved in one direction and to -move said element into locking or latehing position when said member is moved in the opposite direction, an operating handle connected toI said operating member, means for rcleasably retaining said element in its locking or latching position, and spring means opposing the movement off said element from its locking or latching position.

7. ln a lock or latch, the combination With a locking or latching element, of a member having integral. means 'tor retaining said element in a locking or latching` position and integral means for moving said elementrelativelyto. its locking or latching position.

S. In a lock or latch, the combination with a casing` ci. a locking or latching element normally projecting therefrom, cam means for moving said element from and to its locking or latching position, means accessible from the exterior of said casing for manually operating said. cain means, and strike plate 'for operating said cam means.

9. In a lock or latch, the combination with a casing, of a reciprocable locking or latching element mounted therein and having a slot intermediate its ends and a head at its outer yend normally projecting from said cas- -or strike plate for ing, of anti-friction rollersmounted in the ends of said slot, means for movi-ng said ele,- ment to and from its locking or latchingl position and. releasably retaining said element in i-ts locking or latching position, comprising a reciprocable member having integral cam portions thereon Working in said slot and arranged to engage said-rollers, an integral extension on said reciprocable member ior engaging the head of said element to retain the latter' in its locking or latching position, means accessible from outside the casing for manually operating Said reciprocable member, means engageable by a keeper depressing said reciprocable member, and means for restoring said reoiprocable member to normal position.

l0. In a lock or latch the combination with a locking or latching element, or cam operating means therefor movable transversely of the path of said element and adapted to. engage the same to move said element to. and trom its locking or latching position, said locking or l-atchingelement and operating means having readily releasable interlocking means adapted to prevent accidental operationv ot said element.

l1. ln a lock or latch, the combination with a locking or latching element, ot' an operating member therefor comprising cam means, said operating member` being pro.- vided with a recess adjacent said cam means Afor engaging means on said locking or latching` element to resist accidental .operation of the locking or latching element. t

ln a lock or latch, the combination with a locking or latching element carrying antitriction means, of an operating member tor said locking or latching element comprising cam means having socket means at one end thereot adapted to receive said antifriction means and interlock said locking or latching element and operating member'.

13. In a lock or latch, the combination with a locking or latehing element, of means reciprocable transversely ot the path oit said element. ttor operating the same, such reciprocable means comprising means operable by the cooperating strike-plate in advance ot the engagement oit such plate by the locking or lajtching element.

lll. ln a lock or latch, the combination of a locking or latching "element, means. reciprocable transversely thereorI i'or operating the same provided with an arm projecting in advance ol said element, av co-operating strike-plate provided With a recess, such projecting arm adapted to be. actuated by the cooperating strike plate to retract said locking element prior to its registration With its retaining .recess in said strike-plate.

15. The combination With a strike-plate having recesses therein, of a lock or latch cooperating ivith said slate, said lock or latch comprising a casing liaving openings adapted to register' With said recesses, a locking or latching element disposed in said casing and normally projecting from one of said openings, and operating means for said element in said casing and projecting from the other opening therein, said operating means being reciprocable transversely of the pat-h of said element and being adapted and arranged to engage said strike-plate and move said locking or latching element into said casing before the locking or latching element registers with its recess in said plate, and to release said locking or latching element into its recess in said plate when the locking or latching element registers with its recess.

16. In a lool: or latch, the combination with a sliding bolt, of means normally dogging said bolt in projected position, means whereby such clogging means may be released and a spring for projecting said bolt and for restoring such releasing means and clogging means to normal position.

In testimony whereof We hereunto aliix our signatures.

EDWIN CROMP'JON. CHARLES L. CROOKS.

Certiieate of @onesti-on.

lt is hereby certliecl that in Letters Patent No. 1.434.373, granted November 7,

1922, upon the application of Edwin Crompton and Charles L. Crooks, of Pueblo,

Colorado, for :in improvement in Looks or Latches, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction is follows: Page 4L, line S4, claim 10, for the word or, second occurrence, read of; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oce.

Signed and sealed this 26th day of December, A. D., 1922.

[SEAL] KARL FENNING,

Acting lommssioner of Patents. 

